WHO: Nina Deforest and Rupert Shield WHEN: Couple days after Nina moved to Dunhaven WHERE: Sweet Nothings WHAT: A suprise meet up of two friends~ WARNINGS: None!
Rupert was fairly certain that he could trace his coffee addiction back to one thing: medical school.
It definitely wasn't a habit he picked up from his parents, so school was a good bet. He couldn't have made it through on tea alone, not with the long hours studying and even longer hours on his feet working. It was a rather big blessing that there had been so many great coffee shops near Oxford, and something he'd missed dearly when he'd been abroad. Thankfully, Dunhaven did not disappoint in that respect. He hadn't decided which cafe he liked most in town, so he usually alternated his visits. That morning, he'd decided that he wanted a donut from Sweet Nothings.
He recognized her as soon as he saw the back of her head. It'd been months since he'd seen Nina last, but he trusted his instincts, and his instincts were telling him that it was her. He knew she was back in the States, but he'd been so busy recently that he hadn't been in as close of touch as he should have been. He hoped she didn't hold that against him. He desperately hoped so.
"Nina?"
It had been a very long time since Nina had time not working. For years she had been taking class after class, then doing round after round as she studied for test after test until finally she was done and was immediately given a job offer. After that, it had been a year in Africa and then she returned to the States and went right back to work. Now, though, she had a three weeks off before she started working at yet another hospital. Though she was anticipating that work, Nina would have been lying had she said that she wasn't enjoying the time off.
She had officially been moved into her house for two days now, the movers having had followed her down with her meager belongings. The days since had been filled with her unpacking boxes and getting her internet set up, so she could look at ordering additional furniture. She had upgraded from her small apartment to an actual house and it was quite the change, but she was well and truly up for the challenge to fill the space. After all that time by her own, though, Nina had been craving some interaction with someone other than the pizza delivery guy, even if it just meant that she was people watching. And that was how she had ended up at Sweet Nothings. The people watching hadn't lasted long, though, and soon her head was bent over a book she had tucked into her purse as her latte and half eaten pastry got cold.
Nina's head jerked up at the sound of her name, though. She recognized that voice and that recognition sent a spark through her. Straightening her back, she set the book down on the table and turned, nudging her glasses up her nose to bring Rupert into focus. For a brief second, she had no idea what to say and just stared in shock, but the moment passed and a wide smile spread across her features as she got to her feet.
"Rupert," Nina said, no question to her tone, but some lingering shock evident. "Hi."
If he thought seeing the back of her hair was a shock, seeing her face and her smile nearly blew him out of the water. Rupert didn't think he'd been exactly subtle about his deepening affection for her when they'd been in Africa, but neither of them had gone on the trip to meet a romantic partner, so it wasn't his focus. They'd bonded over their mutual desires to help people and over being fish out of water, and there wasn't time for anything more than that. And then his time was up, and that was that. It was only supposed to be termporary, so he tried to treat it as such. There was no telling he'd ever see her again, anyway.
But there she was, and he would've been lying if he'd said he hadn't thought about her neary every day, regretting not doing more.
"You're here." That was stupid, Rupert thought. Obviously she was. "This is… unexpected, to say the least. A pleasant surprise, of course."
"I'm here," she confirmed, as though it was something that actually needed confirming. Nina mentally chastised herself, wondering if that sounded dumb. It was probably no less dumb than her hi that she'd given before. She didn't know what she had been expecting to say the first time she saw Rupert in person again after they'd said goodbye in Africa, but apparently that was it. Then again, she had thought she'd have more time to prepare, not that she would just see him in a coffee shop in a tiny Virginia town of all places.
"I got a job," Nina continued, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "At the hospital, I mean, so I moved down. I've only been here a few days."
Part of her wanted to launch into a whole diatribe about how she had been having a hard time adjusting after coming back to the States and she'd needed a fresh start and this town was as good as any place to look for it, but instead she just smiled again. Nina had felt so much at ease and comfortable around Rupert while they were abroad and even after months apart, she found herself drawn to that place again as the shock wore off. "It's a really pleasant surprise to see you, too."
"At the --" Of course it was at the hospital. Rupert grinned. There were other places a doctor like Nina could have worked in town, but it seemed fitting that it would be at the hospital instead. That was, after all, where he'd just started.
Before he'd met Nina, Rupert hadn't been much of a believer in destiny. He was an idealist, to be sure. A hopeless romantic. But he also believed that people only got what they worked for. When he met her, however, Rupert's entire perspective changed. What were the odds that two people from two entirely different walks of life would find each other in a far-off town on a completely different continent? And would then find each other in the same coffee shop, in the same small town in America? This had to mean something.
"May I?" he asked, gesturing to the chair across from her.
Nina glanced at the chair he was gesturing towards, then nodded. "Yes, definitely," she agreed, motioning toward it herself as she sat back down in her chair. She tucked her book back into her purse, clearing the surface and leaving just her drink and pastry. Even those went mostly ignored, though, as she instead focused on Rupert.
It had been months since she'd last seen him, but Nina wouldn't have been able to forget his face if she'd tried. She had felt many things for Rupert, emotions that had grown over a very intense shared experience over the course of their time together in Africa, but she'd forced to keep at bay. Everything was just too much to have that come into play. She had a job to do. Of course, she'd chastised herself for making that decision time and again since she'd come back to Virginia.
"I've missed you," she said honestly, pushing her glasses up her nose again as she peered across the table at him. "How are you? What have you been up to? Tell me everything."
Rupert felt his cheeks warm up a little, along with his heart. "I've missed you too," he told her, feeling bashful for the first time in a long while. It was probably the first time since they last saw each other.
"Everything?" He arched a brow at her. "Well…" He wasn't really sure where to start. Everything encompassed months. "Well, after my service was up, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do next. I went home briefly, but I hadn't seen Margaret - my sister, in some time. She lives here. She's been in America since college. So I thought, why not visit? And then… I stayed." He leaned in. "Did you know that in order to practice here, I've got to complete another residency? But I'd rather not leave Margaret now, and it seems fate wanted me to be here for other reasons, too."
Nina leaned in toward him, her legs crossing beneath the table as she listened to him speak with rapt attention. She smiled as he told her about everything in the last few months, though she found herself chastising herself again for not keeping in closer contact with him. It wasn't simply because she had been busy that had kept her away, but she had also felt so adrift that she wasn't sure she'd have been able to say much of anything in an email had she tried to construct one of substance. It didn't matter now, though.
"Another residency? That's bad luck," Nina asked, her nose wrinkling at the thought. Hers had been long and arduous enough the first time, so she wouldn't wish a second upon anyone. But what her thoughts caught on was Rupert's mention of fate. Nina didn't necessarily subscribe to the idea of fate, but she had to admit that it seemed pretty amazing that they had just happened to be dropped into the same town together like this. Maybe it was fate or maybe it was simple coincidence that Dunhaven happened to give her the best offer when it came to proximity of her parents, she didn't know. What she did know was that she wasn't about to complain.
"It's good that you've got your sister, though," she went on. "It must be nice being so near to one another."
"Truthfully, if it weren't for her, I wouldn't be here at all." He was glad he was, of course, but Dunhaven wouldn't have been his first choice, especially considering his predicament with school. A smart man would have thought that through first. A smart man would have stayed in the European Union, or made a living out of working for charities. "Our parents are furious, of course. They say I'm wasting my time and money." Maybe he was. Maybe not.
"You should come for dinner sometime," he suggested. "She'll love you."
Unable to help it, Nina's face fell as he mentioned his parents. Her own had always been highly supportive, no matter what choice she made. But, she knew that everyone's family situation was unique, theirs being no exception to that rule. Still, perhaps she was biased, but she couldn't fathom anyone being disappointed in Rupert and anything he decided. He was a great doctor, funny, and too handsome for his own good -- though perhaps it was just Nina who put too much stock in the last.
"Yeah?" she asked after he delivered the invitation, her eyebrows rising. "I'd love that. It would be really nice to meet her." Of course, she immediately felt nerves rise up at the prospect, but she didn't have to mention those.
"I'm sure she would too." He'd noticed the way Nina's expression changed when he mentioned his parents, but chose not to dwell. They'd either come around or they wouldn't. It wasn't really him they took issue with, either. It was Margaret, and Rupert wouldn't stand for that, so he left. His twin sister was more important in the long run.
Margaret would love to hear about this encounter. Rupert could already hear her voice in his head.
"So you said you'll be at the hospital? We'll be working together again - well, sort of together."
"I feel like the work might be a little different than last time," Nina said, pausing to take a quick sip of her latte. "Though I'm glad there will be at least one person there that I'll know. It's a bit daunting -- almost like the first day of school. Exciting, but what if the cool girls make fun of my backpack or pencil case?" She smiled at the joke, trying not to be too worried about it. It wasn't as though she hadn't started over before, the last time being when she went off to Africa and that brought Rupert into her life in the first place.
Pushing her hair behind her ear again, she continued, "I am looking forward to it, though. I've been off of work officially since last week and moved everything down here. I have things to unpack yet, but this is more free time than I'm used to. I'm not really sure what to do with myself, to be honest."
Though he couldn't imagine how anyone would make fun of her, Rupert understood the nerves that went along with starting something new. He'd felt it many times. It was exciting and terrifying all at once. He knew she'd do well, though. Once she got settled, she'd be incredible. The only thing he worried about was that she wouldn't like it. The thought hadn't crossed his mind before, but now that he knew she was here, he really didn't want her to leave. After their experience abroad, he'd had a difficult time coming back, but Dunhaven's proximity to the capital made sense for his career prospects.
"Have you taken yourself on a tour of town?" he asked. Between the job interview and the move, he wasn't sure how familiar she was with the area yet. He'd gone up to Washington D.C. a few times since he'd been in town, but since she was from the area, that wouldn't be as appealing for her. "What brought you here, anyway?"
"I haven't seen much," she admitted, glancing quickly out the front window and then back to Rupert. "It's smaller than what I'm used to, but what I have seen seems nice. I saw this place on my drive through with the moving van, so I kept it in mind for when I knew I'd eventually get sick of unpacking and need some fresh, coffee scented air."
Nina was a bit more thoughtful about answer his second question, her head tipping to the side just a bit as she considered -- then decided that if anyone would understand, it would be Rupert. "After getting back from Africa, it was hard to... adjust, I guess. I had lived and worked in the DC area forever, but it was all just a bit much. I had my job waiting at the hospital, so that was easy enough, but everything was just too big, too loud. I needed something new and I honestly just sent my resume out to any hospital with an opening within a hundred or so miles from DC and this one caught my eye. I liked the look of the town and it's close enough to Fairfax that I can get home to my parents if I need to, but far enough away that it feels like I new start."
Her words faded out and she wrinkled her nose. "I don't know if that makes any sense, but... that's pretty much it. I'm really hopeful, though. So far this place has had only good surprises." She motioned in Rupert's direction at that.
It made sense. It made a lot of sense. He could have easily gone back to London or Oxford and back to the life he'd had before, but returning to England didn't feel right anymore. Once he'd gotten there, he knew in his heart that it wasn't where he was meant to be. He didn't know why, but the reasons were becoming clearly now.
He felt his cheeks warm a little at the suggestion that he was one of the good surprises. "Ah… I suppose I'm happy to take credit for at least one of those surprises. It does make sense, what you said. I didn't want to go back to England after. This is where Margaret is, however, so…" He shrugged. "I'm here. Eventually, I had to stop being parasite and start contributing, if I planned to stay." He realized, then, that he hadn't actually gotten any coffee. He glanced at the counter quickly, and then looked back at Nina. "Do you want to go for a walk?"
Nina felt a bit of relief when he confirmed that he understood where she was coming from. Her parents, though supportive of the move, had a hard time getting just what she was going through. She couldn't blame them, of course, so she tried not to. Having someone else out there that did get it, though, made her feel like she wasn't entirely wasting her time with uprooting herself. In fact, as she sat across from Rupert, she couldn't help but wish that she'd have made the move sooner -- not that she was going to say that out loud.
Looking down at her now empty mug that had been housing her latte, Nina looked back to Rupert and smiled. There were more boxes to unpack, but they weren't going anywhere. "You know, yes. I do want to go for a walk."
"Brilliant!" As soon as the word was out of his mouth, Rupert balked a little. His voice was quite a bit louder than he'd anticipated, and incredibly enthusiastic. Too much, you big dolt, he scolded himself. "Err -- I mean to say, good, I'm glad." The last thing he wanted to do was come on too strong; he didn't even know if she fancied him at all. He suspected she had before, but that didn't mean she did now.
Slowly, he stood up. "I'll get my coffee, and then we can go for a stroll."
Nina smiled, small and pleased at his response and immediate follow up. Even after just one conversation, it felt to her as though no time had passed from the last time she saw him, though that was so plainly not the case. He had become such an integral part of her life while they were abroad that she couldn't help but wonder if maybe the lack of him in her life had been part of why she'd found it so hard to settle down again once she was back home.
As he stood, she shook her head once to dislodge that thought. There was no need to get her hopes up. Instead, she just gave Rupert a warm smile as she gathered her mug to return to the counter. "It's a plan."